Making Friends
by Fairy Dell
Summary: Everyone knows Gajeel as the super-tough iron dragonslayer who's a loner (with a weak spot for cats). While his circle of friends isn't very large, it does exist. Take a closer look at how Gajeel made his friends.
1. Juvia

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima created Fairy Tail and its characters. I just play with them.**

* * *

Gajeel never meant to make friends.

He was used to being alone. His parents died almost before he could remember what they looked like. He had been alone for years before Metallicana took him in. Gajeel enjoyed his time with the iron dragon, tough as they had been. But then his foster father disappeared, leaving Gajeel alone yet again. He wandered Fiore for years, scraping by through offering his services as a freelance mage whenever he needed money.

He was fifteen when Jose found him. The man was kind, offering Gajeel a place to live and food to eat in return for joining his guild. It was better than the life he had, so Gajeel accepted. He was a loner in Phantom Lord. He avoided everyone else and, after beating the few people who approached him, everyone else avoided him.

Except for her.

Juvia had become a member of Phantom Lord a few months before he did, so she felt that the two had some sort of stupid connection. Every day she would arrive at the guild, sit next to him at the table in the dark corner, and observe the other members. She rarely spoke. Gajeel appreciated that much about her. Still, he didn't know what to make of the strange mage. She was a sad girl, followed by a persistent rain that drove off everyone else. Jose noticed that the two always seemed to be together and assigned them to a job a few months after Gajeel joined.

It was a relatively easy job, especially for two such skilled mages. All they had to do was defeat a forest Vulcan that was terrorizing a small village. The two walked through the forest in companionable, if a little miserable, silence.

Eventually Gajeel spoke.

"So it's true," he said, wiping his wet hair out of his eyes. "The rain really does follow you everywhere."

"I'm very sorry," Juvia replied morosely. "I don't mean to make it so gloomy."

"What are you talking about? I don't care about that, it's just these piercings are gonna rust if I don't make sure they're dry overnight. The rain doesn't bother me."

Juvia stopped walking, her eyes wide. "It doesn't?" she whispered.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Look, it's not like you can help it. I eat iron, you make rain. It's just who we are." He folded his arms, uncomfortable with talking so much.

Juvia resumed walking, a small smile on her face. She didn't push the conversation. The two made short work of the Vulcan after they arrived, barely breaking a sweat.

"We work well together," she commented on their walk back.

Gajeel grunted.

"I wouldn't mind doing more jobs with you in the future," Juvia admitted. "You're much more reliable than some of the others in the guild. And you don't get angry about the rain."

"Eh, I prefer to work alone. But if I have to work with someone," Gajeel paused, "I guess it might as well be you."

Juvia smiled and the silence resumed. Back at the guild, Juvia continued to sit with Gajeel. He wouldn't let anyone else join them and anyone who upset the water mage soon found themselves with an iron club to the face.

Gajeel didn't open up to her much, but she was closer to him than anyone else was. He wouldn't admit it, but she was really his first friend. Almost a year after their first mission, Master Jose called Juvia into his office.

"What did he want?" Gajeel asked when she came back down, shell-shocked.

"Master Jose has invited me to be a part of an elite team called the Element 4. It will be made up of four mages who each control an element. He-he says it will be the strongest mages in the guild, the most powerful team possible." She turned her big blue eyes on him. "What should I do? I don't want to aband-"

"Do it," Gajeel interrupted, his voice short. He knew what she was about to say and he didn't want to hear it. She thought he'd be upset if she spent less time with him. Like she meant anything to him.

Like he cared about her.

But he didn't. She didn't mean anything to him. No one did. She was a drinking buddy and occasionally a job partner, but nothing more. And so they drifted apart. She went off on missions with her new team and he went on solo missions.

He certainly didn't miss her.

Years later, hardened and cynical, Phantom Lord went to war. Jose had told him about the pathetic fairies, who valued weak things like friendship and love. Gajeel had laughed at their misplaced ideals and even took pleasure in showing three of their members that strength trumped love any day. But then the tables turned. That crazy Salamander somehow beat him using that same power of love. All of Phantom Lord was defeated, including Juvia (and no, he wasn't relieved to hear she was safe, he wasn't a pansy) and he was once again on his own.

Not that he cared.

* * *

 **Wow, that ending was sadder than expected.**

 **Welcome to Making Friends! Special thanks to star-eye for beta-reading as always.**

 **Also, a quick note: As you probably noticed, I don't write Juvia as speaking in third person. There are three reasons for this. 1. I was first introduced to Fairy Tail through the English dub, where she speaks like a normal (if a little obsessed) person. 2. It's super annoying to read. 3. It's hella difficult to write.**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	2. Mirajane

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail, there'd be a lot more canon couples. Just sayin'.**

* * *

Gajeel didn't want to be there.

Surrounded by people who were so carefree, so devoted to each other and to doing good, it was enough to make him sick. Even worse, those same pansies had practically destroyed his old guild.

He still wasn't sure how the hell he ended up at Fairy Tail, of all places.

It was Juvia's fault, really. She had sent the tiny master after him, insisting he offer Gajeel a place in the guild she wanted to join. The old geezer had offered him a chance to redeem himself (not that he was looking for the chance or feeling guilty) and the chance to look out for Juvia (not that he cared if she was happy or being bullied, though if he was there more of the anger would be directed at him than at her). So he joined up, much to the dismay of the fairies.

Gajeel sat at the far corner of the bar in the newly rebuilt guild. He only dared to move there from his table in the shadows on days when most people were gone for some reason or other.

A plate of iron scraps slid to a loud stop next to him. He looked around suspiciously, but no one was paying any attention to him. The barmaid, Mirajane he heard someone call her, was wiping down a mug and chatting with a guild member who had come for a refill.

Gajeel eyed the plate. It was good quality iron, better than he had been eating recently. He pushed it away.

He didn't want anyone's pity.

Day after day for three weeks, that damned plate slid over the counter or tabletop whenever he was in the guild. The barmaid never spoke and he always pushed the iron to one side.

Then Juvia insisted he try to make friends.

"You're lonely," she had said. "This guild is friendly. You just have to reach out."

He had rolled his eyes.

"Gajeel," she had said in a steely voice which brooked no argument, "I want you to try to make friends."

"I don't have friends and I sure as hell don't want any."

"What about me?"

"You aren't a friend, you're a pest." Gajeel had allowed a small amount of affection to leak into his voice and Juvia had smiled.

"Well while this pest is gone today, she expects you to talk to one person. And Master Makarov doesn't count. If you don't, I'll soak you in your sleep." Soon after, Juvia had left for a job.

Gajeel snorted into his mug. Like he was going to listen to her and talk to anyone.

Then again, if he didn't, she'd never leave him alone. Not to mention she'd gladly follow through on her threat. She'd done it before. At first he'd spluttered awake as cold water drenched him. But after the first few times, Juvia had somehow perfected the art of soaking him without waking him up. He'd open his eyes the next morning and find his bed and sheets starting to mold and his piercings starting to rust.

Damn blue-haired devil.

Groaning, Gajeel examined the guild hall, trying to pinpoint someone he could stomach a conversation with. The hall was practically empty. The few people who were there looked away and shifted uneasily when he made eye contact with them.

"Shit," he mumbled into his mug.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Everyone turned to the stage, where a spotlight shone. The curtains parted and the small crowd cheered as Mirajane walked on, guitar in hand. She gave some cutesy speech and finally started playing. She played four songs and Gajeel was surprised to find himself nodding along to the beat. He was impressed with the girl, though he'd never say so out loud.

Twenty minutes later, Mira walked by his table. He tensed, expecting the usual, and ignored, peace offering of iron scraps. But for the first time in 3 weeks, none came. Gajeel watched her pass, insulted at the lack of attention. He spoke up before she was gone.

"Ya know, you're actually pretty decent."

"You mean my singing and playing?"

Gajeel grunted.

"Well thank you! It's more of a hobby than anything, but no one's complained, so I guess I'm not awful."

"Even if they did complain, don't let it stop you. Like I said, you aren't half bad," Gajeel said gruffly.

Mira beamed at him. "Thank you Gajeel. Do you sing?"

She was shocked to see him brighten up and actually smile at her.

"Yeah, I sing and play guitar. Write my own songs too."

"Oh, we'll have to sign you up for a time slot so you can sing for us all."

Gajeel grinned, sharp teeth bared. "That'd be fine." As Mira turned to head back to the bar, he called after her.

"Got any iron?"

* * *

 **Oh Gajeel. He's such a teddy bear at heart.**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. As always, special thanks go to star-eye for beta-reading and just being generally awesome.**

 **Gajeel's next friend? Natsu.**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	3. Natsu

**Disclaimer: If Fairy Tail were mine, Gajeel and Levy would be kissing all the time, not just in Juvia's delusions.**

* * *

The guild was utterly confounded, to say the least.

Gajeel and Natsu were having a conversation.

That in itself wasn't that surprising. The two had spoken fairly regularly since Gajeel joined Fairy Tail. Granted, those "conversations" usually dissolved into fist fights in a matter of seconds, but that was the norm at Fairy Tail.

There were two things that were different about their current conversation. The first was that it wasn't violent. Then again, considering their already extensive injuries from fighting Laxus, it wasn't all that surprising.

The second, which truly shocked the guild, was the fact that Gajeel could understand Natsu at all.

The fire dragonslayer was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. Even his mouth was covered, much to some people's (namely Gray's) delight. Any words he attempted to speak were muffled and garbled, making Natsu sound more animal than human.

Yet Gajeel was talking with him like nothing was different.

The dragonslayers had been sitting next to each other on a bench, studiously ignoring each other and pretending like every move didn't hurt like hell. Once the parade was brought up, they started arguing, though only Gajeel could apparently understand both sides.

*"Screw you and your parade!" Gajeel said, arms crossed. His glare was less intimidating than he meant it to be as one eye was covered with bandages.

A seemingly indecipherable noise left Natsu's mouth.

"Come on," Gajeel sneered. "How are you gonna be a part of the action? You're out."

Natsu turned and appeared to yell back.

"That's got nothin' to do with it, bro! What the heck is your problem?"*

Lucy watched the two with wide eyes. Like many in the guild, she had been impressed by Gajeel's actions during the Fantasia festival. But she was most impressed by the fact that he could decipher Natsu's distorted speech.

"Maybe it's a dragonslayer thing," she muttered to Gray, who was watching with just as much awe.

"Nah," he replied, "I'm with Happy on this one. They're both just stupid enough to understand each other."

Their argument was interrupted when Laxus showed up and Gajeel was required to play translator.

"I guess I was wrong," Lucy said. Word had spread of Laxus' dragonslayer magic and he was apparently unable to decipher Natsu's distorted words.

As Laxus headed toward the infirmary, tension remained high in the guildhall until Cana sauntered up.

"Gajeel, did I hear you call Natsu 'bro'?" Cana smirked and threw an arm around Lucy's shoulders, sloshing beer from her mug all over the blonde, ignoring her squeals of protest. "And you can tell what he's saying. When did the two of you get all buddy-buddy?"

"I don't know what you're goin' on about," Gajeel sniffed, turning away from the crowd in the middle of the guild. "Him and me ain't friends."

"Mmnphnrg," Natsu contributed helpfully.

Gajeel whirled around. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm a great person to be friends with!"

"Nrshfbgmrmph."

"There ain't no way you're a better friend than me." Gajeel poked Natsu in the shoulder. Natsu tried not to whimper in pain and instead kicked Gajeel in the shin. The two glowered at each other, weighing the risk of pain against the possibility of pounding the other into a pulp. Well, more of a pulp than they already were.

To no one's surprise, they decided against fighting.

Gajeel turned again to walk away, but stiffened when Natsu attempted to speak again.

"Dvnhfphrnz?"

Without another word, Gajeel strode out of the guild, slamming the door behind him. Everyone exchanged confused looks before turning to Natsu. To their surprise, he looked guilty.

"What did you say to him, Natsu?" Erza asked darkly.

Natsu shook his head and headed for the doors. He knew it was a dangerous business, ignoring Erza, but it was something he had to do on his own.

Gajeel was sitting on a bench not far from the guild, head in his hands. He was determined not to let Natsu's words get to him.

He wasn't succeeding.

It was the damn guild's fault. They put so much emphasis on friendship and all that crap that even Gajeel started to believe it. He thought that maybe, just maybe, those naive fairies would be able to forgive him, accept him, maybe even consider him one of their own.

He should have known better. Hell, if there was one thing he had learned in his life, it was that people left. Especially the people he cared about.

There was a soft thud next to him on the bench. Gajeel saw white bandages from the corner of his eye and didn't bother to look up.

"Smrphm."

Gajeel ignored him.

Natsu nudged Gajeel's foot with his own. "Smrphm."

Gajeel slid farther away. "Sorry ash face, can't understand you."

"Bphst."

"What was that?"

"Srphslv?! Lvdnphmmndfrnn."

"Maybe you should get one of those many friends of yours to come translate for you."

Natsu screamed, the effect lessened as the sound was muffled. Natsu impatiently tore the bandages away from his mouth. "Dammit, I didn't mean to offend you, alright?"

"What do you care?" Gajeel said in a surly tone.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, neither wanting to broach the subject of feelings and emotional crap.

"I do consider you my friend, ya know," Natsu said rather suddenly.

Gajeel froze, not sure how to respond. "Why?" he finally asked.

"Whatever your past, you're a member of Fairy Tail now. That makes you family." Another moment of silence, less awkward than before. "And I didn't mean what I said. I know you have friends."

Gajeel snorted.

"No really!" At Gajeel's raised eyebrow (well, raised row of piercings), Natsu continued. "I mean, Juvia's practically your sister, isn't she?"

"Having a psychopath as a friend hardly seems to count. She just attached herself to me. It's not like I've ever made a friend on my own."

"Mira's your friend."

"Yeah right."

"No really! She gives you iron all the time, you two talk about music and crap. I think you've grown on her."

"So what, I've got two friends. Not exactly impressive."

"Like I said, I consider you a friend. So that's three."

"Still don't know why you consider me your friend," Gajeel muttered.

"You could understand what I was saying when no one else could. Don't know why ya could, but it was really pretty impressive. I figure it's because we're friends."

"That's dumb. You've got plenty of friends in the guild and none of them could make sense of your gibberish. I bet blondie was right. It's probably 'cause we're both dragonslayers."

"Laxus is a dragonslayer and he couldn't tell what I was saying."

Gajeel scoffed. "We both know he ain't a real dragonslayer. Sure he's got the magic, but you and me were raised by dragons."

Natsu smiled. "What was your dragon like?"

"He was a right bastard," Gajeel said fondly.

"Yeah," Natsu laughed, "so was Igneel. But he was my dad, ya know?"

They talked about their foster fathers for hours, until Lucy came looking for Natsu. Apparently he was needed in the parade, provided he promise to take it easy. Gajeel rolled his eyes, knowing as well as Lucy that even if he did promise that, he'd manage to go overboard. Natsu just didn't have a 'slow' mode.

Gajeel sat on the bench, reflecting on the last few hours. Maybe he had more friends than he thought.

* * *

 **Natsu and Gajeel are two of my favorite characters in Fairy Tail, so this was so much fun to write.**

 **The dialogue between the *s comes from the English dub of the anime (episode 48) and is not mine.**

 **Special thanks and hundreds of hugs to star-eye, my beautiful beta, who agrees with me that Natsu is too precious for this world. Like, seriously.**

 **Next chapter: Gajeel gets two new friends. Any guesses as to who they'll be?**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	4. Jet and Droy

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Fairy Tail. But I do own a pretty snazzy hedgehog mug.**

* * *

The day after the Fantasia parade was a rare quiet one at Fairy Tail. Everyone was recovering from the fight and celebrations.

Gajeel was wary when Jet approached him and sat across the table from him without a word. The two mages shifted around, both obviously uncomfortable and Gajeel beyond confused.

He would never admit it, but the three members of Team Shadowgear scared the shit outta him.

He had hurt them more than the rest of Fairy Tail and for no other reason than boredom. Gajeel knew that a single word from the small blue-haired girl about being uncomfortable around him would have him kicked out faster than he could say his own name. So far she hadn't, but he knew those two lapdogs of hers were constantly yapping about wanting him gone.

She was smart. Sooner or later (and more likely sooner) she'd realize he didn't belong and he'd have to go.

"Levy told me about what happened yesterday." Jet's voice broke through Gajeel's thoughts. "Can I ask why? It's not like you care about Fairy Tail."

Gajeel studied the speed mage, who fidgeted under his gaze.

"I know you might find it hard to believe, but I don't actually hate this guild." Gajeel held up his hand when Jet opened his mouth. "Let me explain."

Jet nodded.

"Phantom took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I would have done anything for them, just like you'd probably do anything for Fairy Tail. I had never heard of Fairy Tail until I joined Phantom, so all I knew was what they told me. And they didn't have anything nice to say. I really believed you lot were my enemies. Besides, you place so much importance on the bonds between guildmates and that's something I've never had. I guess I was jealous."

"I can understand that. But if that's the case, why join Fairy Tail at all?"

"No one else would take me after Phantom disbanded. Plus I couldn't leave Juvia on her own." He paused. "I felt bad, too, for what I did to the guild, to blondie. To you."

Gajeel leveled a glare at Jet. "You repeat any of this and I'll give you another pounding."

Jet laughed, not bothered by the threat for once. "You really aren't a bad person, are you? Don't worry, I won't say a word. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the other day. It must have taken a lot to let Droy and me whale on you like that. And to take that hit for Levy."

Gajeel shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I did to you guys when I was in Phantom."

Another awkward silence settled over the two until Gajeel just couldn't stand it anymore. "Would you scram already?" he growled good-naturedly.

Jet chuckled as he stood. "I don't know that we'll ever be close, considering everything that's happened in our past, but I think we might be able to be friends."

Friends. The word struck a chord in Gajeel and he barely noticed Jet leaving. Natsu smirked at him from a few tables over, having shamelessly eavesdropped on the whole conversation.

"Told ya," he mouthed. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

An hour later, Droy walked up and sat down at Gajeel's table.

"Levy told me about what you did yesterday."

* * *

 **Two chapters in one week? I must really like you guys.**

 **Now before you come at me with pitchforks yelling about Jet and Droy being out of character, let me explain. I see them as being friendly toward Gajeel, but upset when he steals Levy's attention away from them. Otherwise, they don't have a problem with him.**

 **I just want everyone to be friends, okay!**

 **Special thanks and some cough drops go to star-eye (feel better!) for being amazing as per usual.**

 **Next up is the chapter you've all been asking me if I'll do (and of course I'm going to!): LEVY!**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	5. Levy

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail, this would be canon. That being said, Hiro Mashima is a complete genius for giving us these characters to begin with.**

* * *

 _Thud._

Gajeel jumped, his usual table in the guildhall suddenly overflowing with notebooks. Most of them were worn and filled, covered in neat handwriting and with scraps of paper sticking out of the edges. The rest were empty, full of crisp and pristine pages. The notebooks towered on either end of the table, creating a small window between Gajeel and his unexpected visitor.

Levy sat across from him, prim and proper. A headband kept her hair out of her face and a pair of red glasses was perched on her nose. She pulled one of the empty notebooks in front of her, opened it to the first page, and grabbed a pen, hand poised over the first white page.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"What about?" Gajeel asked, eyes wide. He wasn't one to beg, but he was seriously considering praying to whatever gods had ignored him all his life that they would keep the short yet somehow dangerous girl from prying too much. Or at all.

As usual, whatever gods were out there paid him no mind.

"I've been doing research on dragons ever since Natsu joined the guild, but it's been years since I've gotten any new leads. I want you to tell me everything you know about dragons." Levy's eyes shone at the prospect of new information, her voice dreamy. She pulled out one of the filled notebooks. "Natsu's told me everything he can remember about Igneel, and surprisingly it's quite a bit of information. But Natsu's never met other dragons, so all I have is information about his dragon. I don't know if other fire dragons are anything like Igneel, not to mention all the other types of dragons. Now, you were raised by an iron dragon, weren't you? What did he look-—Sit down," Levy suddenly said sharply.

Gajeel froze, half standing up. He wasn't sure how she had seen him try to sneak away, as her nose was buried in a notebook, but he didn't dare disobey. He slowly sank back into his seat.

As soon as he was sitting again, Levy smiled brightly at him and continued without pause. "Your foster father was named Metalicana, correct? What did he look like?"

"Big. Metallic. Scary as hell."

Levy's eyes narrowed. "Can you be more specific?"

Gajeel shrugged. "I dunno. He was bigger than a tree? Shiny and silver? Scary as hell?"

Levy sighed, pulling off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Let's try a different approach." She pushed the notebook and pen toward him. "Can you draw me a picture of him?"

He didn't want to but he didn't dare cross the diminutive script mage. He gingerly picked up the pen, hesitating before touching it to the paper. Levy narrowed her eyes and he began drawing. He worked in silence for a few minutes, hunched over the paper, brow furrowed.

"Here," he finally grunted, shoving the notebook back over to Levy. He crossed his arms and looked away, trying not to look like he cared what she thought.

Levy examined the paper. "Gajeel, this is. . . this is awful." She started laughing at the dragonslayer, not noticing the light blush tinging his cheeks. "I'm sorry, but it really is. What's this supposed to be? Feathers?"

"Those are his teeth."

"Then why are they on his wings?"

Gajeel shook his head and turned the page ninety degrees. "That's his head." He pointed to the picture. "Those are his wings."

"Oh. I thought those were clouds."

"Yeah, well we can't all be perfect, shortstack." Unfortunately, when Gajeel got embarrassed, he defaulted to insulting the people around him. Granted it wasn't much of an insult, but it was still a way to deflect attention off of him.

To his surprise, it worked. To his horror, it worked a little too well.

"What did you just call me?" Her voice was dangerously low, her eyes fixed unseeing on the paper in front of her.

"Shortstack," Gajeel bravely continued on the path to destruction, "you know, cause you're such a shrimp."

Levy's nostrils flared and she slowly raised her head, her brown eyes blazing. "Don't ever call me that again," she said through clenched teeth, obviously trying to stay calm.

"Why not? It's true. You're a shorty." Gajeel chuckled to hide his nerves. He knew he was probably pushing too far, and the last thing he wanted to do was to make the girl angry, but he didn't know how to deal with her. Besides, he couldn't deny that pushing her buttons was more than a little fun. It wasn't like she could beat him up or anything, so he didn't have to worry about her retaliating.

"You fustilarian," she said, standing abruptly. "You craven miscreant! You absolute tosser!" Levy was shouting at this point, drawing quite a bit of attention to the table in the corner.

Gajeel sat frozen. He had no idea what was going on, but he had a feeling it wasn't good. Levy continued shouting, but Gajeel had no idea what she was saying.

To his relief, Jet and Droy walked up, but instead of calming Levy down, they sat on either side of Gajeel and watched.

"What's she angry about this time?" Jet asked, trying and failing to stifle his laughter.

"All I did was call her short," Gajeel muttered.

The two boys gasped and burst into laughter. Levy narrowed her eyes at her teammates and started throwing a few of her insults at them as well. The majority of her words were still aimed at Gajeel, though.

"Gobshite! Fucking unartistic asshole! And you two-"

"There are few things in life that can make Levy truly angry," Droy explained patiently, ignoring the tiny blue-haired girl as she continued to rail against them. "Someone taking advantage of innocent people-"

"Someone destroying, defacing, or otherwise insulting books and knowledge-" Jet chimed in.

"Or someone calling her tiny, little, or short." Droy patted Gajeel on the back. "You, my friend, have managed to set Levy off on a rare rant."

Gajeel sat with eyes wide. He was stuck somewhere between horror and fascination. He knew that the small girl had a fiery temper, but this was unexpectedly explosive. Thankfully, the rest of the guild seemed entertained, not enraged. A few were even throwing him pitying looks, realizing he was taking the brunt of Levy's tirade.

"What language is she speaking?" Gajeel asked Jet a few moments later.

"Ancient Fioran. That means she's gone through all the modern insults she can remember. She'll be done soon."

Sure enough, after a few more sentences no one else could understand, Levy stopped. She stormed out of the guildhall, slamming the door behind her. Everyone turned to Gajeel, curious how the newcomer would handle one of the most terrifying experiences any of them had ever been subjected to. An angry Levy.

Silence settled over the guildhall.

Then Gajeel burst out laughing, causing everyone to jump. It wasn't the reaction they had been expecting. Gajeel laughed until he cried, something he couldn't ever remember doing. Jet and Droy stared at him in awe as he wiped the last tear from his eye.

"I can't tell if you're stupid or have a death wish," Droy whispered. "If Levy finds out you were laughing at her, she will kill you. Violently."

"How often does she do that?" Gajeel ignored Droy's warning.

"Maybe once every few months," Jet said. "It depends how often we meet new people. Everyone who knows her knows better than to get her that angry. No one wants to be cursed at in so many languages."

"That was fuckin' brilliant!" Gajeel chuckled at the memory. "Do you think I can get her to do it again?"

Everyone who heard his question gaped at him.

"Nope, not stupid," Droy muttered, "he actually wants to die. That's gotta be it."

No one would answer his question and Gajeel was left alone to wonder. Bored, he started flipping through the notebooks Levy had left behind. His eyebrows rose. The notes were detailed, well-organized, and incredibly accurate. He was actually impressed. Not that he would ever admit such a thing.

He spent the rest of the afternoon slowly reading through Levy's notes. At one point, he grabbed an empty notebook and pen and began jotting down some of the differences between the dragon who raised him and the one written about in her research. Gajeel became absorbed in his work, not noticing the people who stopped to stare at him or the return of a certain script mage.

"What are you doing?" Levy sat across from him.

Gajeel looked up sharply. "Just lookin' at your notes. You've got a lot of good information here." He slid the his notebook back over to her. "I wrote down some things that're missing or different for my dragon."

She took the notebook, but didn't look at it. Instead, she met his gaze. "I'm really sorry about earlier. Sometimes I let my temper get the better of me."

Gajeel bared his teeth in what might have been a grin. "Are you kidding me? That was the most fun I've had in days. Sure, I didn't understand most of the shit you were saying, but it was damn entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Levy growled.

"I mean, how many languages was that? Three? Four? And even the shit that wasn't in other languages I didn't understand. Could you teach me some?"

"You're not angry with me?" Levy asked hopefully.

"Course not, shrimp," Gajeel said with a wink.

Levy's fists clenched. She took a deep breath.

"What's the matter, shorty?"

Everyone near his table ran for cover as Levy exploded for a second time.

* * *

 **I give you the never-ending chapter. Seriously, it took me forever to finish and kept evolving. I love it.**

 **Love, hugs, and cookies to star-eye for beta-reading and fangirling with me all the time.**

 **Making Friends is officially halfway done. But I won't be updating it next week, as I have a special story in the works for New Year's Eve. If you like Young Justice, come check it out!**

 **As always, feel free to talk to me here or on my tumblr page, fairy-dell. I seriously love to hear from you, whether about my stories, Fairy Tail in general, or just about life and writing.**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	6. Cana

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters do not belong to me.**

 **Also, I'm upping the rating to T for Cana's dirty mouth and dirtier mind.**

* * *

Gajeel's strange and budding friendship with Levy seemed to change something in the guild. While no one had been rude to him after he joined, they still were wary. After Levy started spending time with him, his history with Phantom seemed completely forgotten. The change was startling and immediate.

As Gajeel was recovering from Levy's verbal thrashing and subsequent interrogation, Cana strolled up carrying two mugs of foaming beer. "Here." She slid the drink to him and sat across from him. "Anyone who survives one of Levy's tirades deserves a drink."

Gajeel just laughed. "Are you kidding me? That was brilliant. I gotta get the shrimp to do it again."

Cana eyed him and seemed to come to a decision. "I like you, kid. You've got a pair of brass ones on you."

"They're not brass, they're steel," Gajeel said with a smirk. "And who are you calling kid, Bar Babe?"

Cana nearly spit out the drink she had just taken. "Oh, I like you Brass Boy. Tell you what, you and me are gonna have a little drinking game. MIRA!"

Gajeel winced at the piercing shriek.

"What's up, you two?" The cheery barmaid paused by their table.

"Bring me two shot glasses and the strongest stuff you got. Then grab Gray and Alzack. We need the three of you to judge our game."

"Sure thing!" She scurried off, shouting to anyone who would listen that someone was having a drinking contest with Cana. Half the guild ran for the hills while the other half flocked around the table where Gajeel and Cana sat. Mira returned with four bottles of vodka, two shot glasses, and the two requested men. The three judges pulled up chairs and sat.

"Alright, here's the game," Cana said, grabbing a shot glass and two of the vodka bottles. "The judges take turns naming a member of the guild. Gajeel and I say the nickname we use for that person. Worst nickname takes a drink. Loser is the first person who taps out or can't drink anymore. If neither happens and we run out of names, we'll get a tally from the judges to determine a winner. Any questions?"

"What if we don't have a nickname for the person? Or we have more than one?" Gajeel asked.

"If you have more than one, say the one you use most often. If you don't have one, you have one minute to come up with something. Oh, and if the nickname isn't obvious, the judges can ask for an explanation."

"Sounds fair. Do we each have to take a shot for ourselves, then? Unless you have a nickname for yourself."

"Nah, one shot each to start off sounds fair." They topped off their glasses and downed the vodka. "Let the contest begin! Mira, first choice is yours."

Mira thought for a moment, then said, "Let's start with Levy."

Gajeel smirked. "I'm gonna keep calling her Shrimp. It's just too funny."

"I've always called her the Blue Fairy."

"I vote Gajeel," Gray said. "Any time Levy gets worked up and it's not aimed at me is always hilarious."

"I vote Cana," Alzack said quietly. "Levy is rather fairy-like."

Everyone turned to look at Mira. "Oh this is a tough choice." She thought for a moment. "I have to vote for Gajeel. Shrimp. It's just too cute!"

Everyone paled at the gleam in her eye and Gray quickly spoke up as Cana downed her shot. "Okay, next name is Natsu." He smirked, excited to see what embarrassing or rude names they had for his rival.

"Hot Stuff!" Cana cheered. "Both in looks and in actual fire magic."

Gajeel scoffed. "I call him Runt, cause that's what he is."

"What do you mean?" Cana asked.

"He's tiny compared to me. Hell, he's tiny compared to Laxus and that ass ain't even a real dragon slayer. He's a runt."

"I am not!" Natsu shouted. Lucy held him back, pleading with him not to start another fight.

"Ha! Runt gets my vote," Gray said with a laugh.

"I've gotta go with Gajeel, just because it's weird to think of Natsu as hot," Alzack said.

Mira pouted. "I like Cana's nickname."

"I'm not complaining," Cana said as she poured another glass for herself. "Alzack?"

"Hmmm. How about Bisca?"

Cana rolled her eyes, not surprised that Alzack had his beautiful partner on his mind. "Bisca is the Mean Green Shooting Machine."

"Eh, I just call her Sharpshot." Gajeel shrugged.

"I think Cana wins this round," Gray said. Mira and Alzack nodded and Gajeel took a shot.

"Let's do Alzack next! Since we just did Bisca," Mira explained.

"Alzack," Cana said. "Poor, sweet, innocent Puppy Love."

Everyone laughed as Alzack turned bright red.

"Well I call him Bullseye, cuz he always turns red whenever someone mentions Sharpshot."

More laughter.

"Oh this is a hard one," Mira said. "I like Puppy Love."

"Me too," Gray snickered.

"I vote for Bullseye," Alzack muttered, but no one paid any attention. Gajeel drank again.

"Lucy's next," Gray announced.

Cana started cackling. "Lucy is my Bosom Buddy," she wheezed, "because her boobs and I are such good friends!"

"Hey!" Lucy shouted from the crowd.

"No fair! Why does she get to be friends with your boobs?" Natsu whined. "OW!"

"I apologize for the interruption," Erza said. She glared at Natsu, who was cowering from the slap to the back of his head. "It will not happen again."

"Gajeel?" Gray asked. "What do you call Lucy?"

"Bunny Girl."

"It was just that once!" Lucy wailed as the gathered crowd laughed.

"Judges?" Cana asked.

"I have to vote for Bunny Girl, you looked so adorable in that outfit, Lucy!" Mira exclaimed.

"Yeah, there's no way I'm going anywhere near Cana's nickname," Gray said with a shudder. Alzack nodded in agreement.

"What do you call Gray?" Alzack asked.

"Eye Candy," Cana said with a wink.

"How could you betray me, my love?" Juvia wailed from the crowd. She threw herself on Gray's lap, glaring at Cana. "Stupid love rivals trying to steal my beloved…." Her muttering trailed off.

While Gray tried unsuccessfully to pry Juvia off of him, the contest continued.

"I call him Freezer Burn," Gajeel said.

"Why?" Mira asked.

"Cause he uses ice magic and half the time he's naked, which burns my eyes."

Gray scowled as everyone laughed.

"Oh, that's even better than Ice Princess," Natsu chuckled.

"You wanna go, Flame Brain?" Gray tried to stand, but Juvia clung to him, pushing him back in his seat.

"I vote Gajeel," Alzack said.

"I don't wanna vote for either," Gray said sulkily. "But I guess Cana's is less insulting."

Juvia started crying at the thought of Gray accepting a compliment from another woman.

"I vote Cana!" Mira said. Gajeel drank and she pondered the next victim...er...name. "How about Juvia?"

Cana snickered. "Love Rival."

It took nearly five minutes for Juvia to calm down and all the water to be drained from the guildhall.

"Gajeel, what do you call her?" Gray managed to ask around an armful of depressed water woman.

"Crazy ass rain woman," Gajeel said.

"That's not true!" Juvia was suddenly back to her normal self. "You haven't called me that in months! Not since the rain disappeared."

"What does he call you then?" Mira asked.

"Nothing!" Gajeel said through gritted teeth.

"Are you blushing?" Cana asked incredulously. "Oh my god, you are! He's blushing!"

"Gajeel calls me Sunshine now," Juvia said happily. "Because he knows how much it means to me that I can see it."

For maybe the first time ever, it was completely silent in the guild. Then the girls started squealing.

"I'll drink to that," Cana said, not even waiting for the judges to vote. "What's the score, anyway?"

"Cana's had 5 drinks, Gajeel's had 4," Alzack said.

Suddenly, an evil glint entered Gray's eye as he got revenge for suffering through his and Juvia's nicknames and their consequences. "What do you guys call Erza?"

A collective shudder ran through the guild.

"He's trying to get them killed," Natsu whispered, horrified. Lucy quickly shushed him before Erza could hear him.

"Strawberry Cake…" Gajeel said uncertainly.

"I don't believe you." Cana narrowed her eyes.

"It's the only one I'm willing to call her to her face," he muttered. No one pushed the issue, knowing that they all had nicknames for her they'd be less than eager to let her hear.

"I call her Number One, because she is," Cana said with a smirk. Everyone agreed it was the better nickname.

An hour later, Cana and Gajeel were still trying to continue their contest. The crowd had scattered, losing interest after ten minutes and all the interesting nicknames. Even the judges had left, mostly because as they got drunker, both Cana and Gajeel got a lot more inappropriate. There were only so many crude nicknames they could stomach.

"What's the score?" Cana somehow managed to ask.

Gajeel shrugged and nearly fell off the bench. "Who's next?"

Cana looked around and her bleary eyes settled on the youngest and most innocent occupant of the guild's bar. "Romeo!"

Gajeel blinked a few times. "I just call him Kid."

"Ha! Me too!"

"So what? We both drink? Or nobody?"

"Both!" Cana said.

"You just wanna drink more," he accused.

"Are you givin' up?"

He scowled. "You ain't gonna let me win, are ya?"

"Never!"

"Fine, I give. You win."

Cana cheered, but no one really cared at that point. "I gotta say, Brass Boy, you actually presented a challenge. I'd be happy to take you on any time, my friend."

Gajeel didn't answer. He had finally passed out face first on the table.

* * *

 **Well humor isn't what I usually write, but I made myself and my beta, star-eye, laugh, so hopefully this as funny as we thought it was!**

 **Extra thanks to star-eye for helping me research alcohol things.**

 **And yes, I had more nicknames for other people, but I didn't want this chapter to go on forever. Send me a message on my tumblr, fairy-dell, asking about a specific character if you want to hear the nicknames I came up with.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	7. Wendy

**Disclaimer: Gajeel and all his friends belong to Hiro Mashima, not me.**

* * *

Gajeel had been glad when Team Natsu was shipped off to help the other guilds fight the Oracion Seis, since it meant the guild would be significantly quieter in their absence.

Unfortunately, that meant their return was a louder than usual event. Not only did they return victorious, they brought two new guild members back.

Gajeel watched with interest from a corner table as the small girl revealed she was a dragonslayer. He winced at the deafening cheers that followed. The girl winced as well, but no one else seemed to notice. He saw her cautiously sniff the air a few times. Her eyes lit up at something, likely a particular scent, and she scanned the guild hall, but seemed unable to pinpoint it's location.

Over the next few hours, the small girl was tossed from person to person as the guild welcomed her and tried to get to know her. She put on a brave face, but Gajeel could tell her senses were getting overwhelmed. It was a feeling he had experienced more than once.

She was talking to Levy, who was speaking in a quieter voice than her guildmates. The kid smiled at her and nodded when she asked a question. They both stood up and started walking toward Gajeel's secluded corner.

"Gajeel, this is Wendy. I don't know if you heard or not, but she's a dragonslayer too. Wendy, this is Gajeel. He's an iron dragonslayer."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Wendy said sweetly.

"Sit down kid." Gajeel nodded at bench next to him. She skipped over to sit next to him. Levy took a seat across from the two, a small smile on her face.

Gajeel opened his mouth to ask Wendy about the dragon who raised her when a particularly loud crash rang through the hall. He and Wendy both winced. He studied her for a moment.

"I'm gonna teach you a little trick, squirt. You see this table?"

She nodded, curious.

"I want you to memorize every detail about it. As soon as I'm done with this plate of iron, I'm gonna have you close your eyes and I'll ask you questions about it. Use all your senses. Focus on what you can see, smell, feel, and hear about the table." He paused. "But don't lick it. It probably ain't clean."

Wendy furrowed her brow in concentration, examining the table. Levy shot Gajeel a questioning look, but he ignored her. He kept an eye on Wendy and when it seemed she had nothing new to observe, he finished the last bite.

"Okay, eyes closed," he said. "Hands off the table and no cheating, alright?"

"Okay. I'm ready."

"The tabletop is made up of boards. How many are there?"

"Five."

"Good. Is the wood hard or soft?"

"Ummm, hard. But old and worn."

"Right. Which bench creaks, this one or the one on the other side of the table?"

"This one. But that might just be because you're heavier than Levy." Levy laughed at the offended look on Gajeel's face. After a moment, he laughed too.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that. There's a stain next to Shrimp's left elbow. Can you tell what made it?"

"Shrimp?"

"Levy." Said girl glared at the dragonslayer, but he just grinned at her.

"Well, it looked like a liquid stain, since it was absorbed into the wood. I don't know what kind, though."

"All right. One last question. There's a deep nick in the wood, on the edge on this side. Is it in front of you or me?"

Wendy was quiet for a moment, concentrating. "It was in front of me?" she said hesitantly.

"Are ya askin' me or tellin' me?"

"It's in front of me," she said a little more confidently.

"Open your eyes."

Wendy blinked and examined the table in front of her. There was a cut in the wood. "I was right!"

"Not exactly." Gajeel gestured to the edge of the table in front of him, and sure enough, there was a gouge there too.

Wendy's shoulders sagged.

"Hey, don't look so sad, squirt. You did really good for your first time trying that. Now tell me, how's the noise?"

Her eyes widened. "I didn't even notice it!"

Gajeel chuckled. "It's a trick the dragon who raised me taught me. The place where we lived used to get bad storms. Between the wind, rain, and thunder, I'd be nearly deaf. What ya do is pick an inanimate object. Focus all your senses on it and find all the little details about it. It helps you block out noise and it also trains you to notice your surroundings."

"Wow," Wendy breathed. "Is that how Natsu deals with it?"

Gajeel snorted. "Yeah right. He grew up in this noise. Hell, he causes most of the racket. I'd be surprised if he ever had this problem."

Wendy winced as Natsu roared, punching Gray in the face. "I see your point."

For the next few days, Gajeel had a tiny, blue-haired shadow. Wendy asked him question after question about dragons and being a dragonslayer. To everyone's surprise, he was patient with her, almost gentle.

They were eating lunch together a few days after her arrival. A fight had broken out, as usual. "Hey Gajeel, do you have a nickname for everyone?" Wendy asked.

"Mostly, yeah."

"Do you have one for me? You sometimes call me kid or squirt, but you call anyone younger or smaller than you those names."

Gajeel shifted in his seat, not meeting her gaze. "Yeah, I've got a nickname for ya."

Wendy's eyes sparkled. "What is it?"

"Well, you're a sky dragonslayer, and you're like a bird, all tiny and I hear you humming a lot. Plus your hair is blue. So I call you Bluebird." Gajeel busied himself with his food, trying not to let his embarrassment at the sentimental nickname show.

When he finally looked at the small girl, he nearly choked at the sight of tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry! I can call you something else if you don't like it!" he reassured her.

"No, I love it!" Wendy insisted. "Grandine used to call me that. It reminds me of her."

Before Gajeel was forced to think of a response that wasn't harsh or overly sweet, he heard someone yell "Watch out!" He and Wendy looked up to see a table flying toward them.

Wendy screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, but the table never hit them. She peeked out one eye to see shattered pieces of wood surrounding them. Gajeel stood behind her, one arm transformed into an iron club. He glared at the crowd on the other side of the hall.

"Alright, which one of you dead bastards threw that? You almost hit the kid!"

Everyone pointed at someone else and Gajeel threw himself into the brawl to try to teach them a lesson.

It didn't work, but it certainly entertained Gajeel's newest friend.

* * *

 **Sadly, my fantastic beta, star-eye, has been without internet all week, but I really wanted to post this chapter, so I'm sorry if it's not quite up to snuff.**

 **I just couldn't get the idea of Wendy attaching herself to Gajeel out of my head.**

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	8. Panther Lily

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine. Cana's thoughts, in this case, are mine, though.**

* * *

Gajeel was rather sad to return to Earthland. Despite its lack of magic, Edolas was a pretty neat place. Of course, most of its appeal could be attributed to the existence of Gajeel's double. The two were fascinated by each other to say the least.

But coming back had a major perk in the surprisingly miniature (and adorable, not that Gajeel would ever admit such a thing) form of Panther Lily.

Lily was impressed by the Earthland Fairy Tail. The people there were friendly, loud, and violent.

He loved it.

It reminded him of his days in the army, before the rank of captain brought expectations of respectability.

Luckily, there were a few familiar faces, namely Erza Scarlet's. Though the Edolas Erza he knew hated Fairy Tail, this one was as fiercely loyal and disciplined as her double. And for those faces he didn't know, he had a willing guide in Gajeel, who had a unique way of introducing people.

The two were walking to the guild for the official "Welcome Back" party. Gajeel tried to explain the craziness his new partner would soon encounter, but couldn't seem to find adequate words.

"What are your friends like?" Lily asked.

Gajeel scoffed. "I don't got friends. I ain't some pansy."

Lily raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing the man who had fought so hard to return his guild home, but he didn't say anything about it.

"I'd like to apologize to that white-haired girl for capturing her. Can you introduce me to her?"

"I've never seen her before. The guild's informal, you don't gotta worry about introductions or shit like that."

"If you're sure," Lily said with a frown.

"Listen, my first interaction with the guild was when I destroyed the building and attacked three members. If they can forgive that, I'm sure they can forgive poor manners."

Gajeel's mood seemed to darken as he reflected on his past with Fairy Tail. Luckily, they reached the guild before Lily could ask anymore questions.

"Oi Shrimp!" Gajeel led Panther Lily to a table where a short girl with spiky blue hair sat with two boys, one with a strange hat and the other with a strange ponytail. "Did ya see I got a cat now? This is Lily. Lil', meet Shrimp, Yippy, and Yappy."

At Lily's confused frown, the blue-haired girl spoke up. "I'm Levy, a solid script mage" she clarified, frowning at the dragonslayer. "Gajeel doesn't bother with people's real names. He prefers the nicknames he comes up with, no matter how ridiculous they are. This is Jet, who uses speed magic" she pointed to the mage with the hat, "and Droy. He's got plant magic." The man with the strange hair waved.

"It's a pleasure to meet some of Gajeel's comrades. My name is Panther Lily, though you may simply call me Lily. I can use magic to change my size," Lily said. Gajeel, sensing that the four were going to waste time with niceties, headed off to the other side of the guild where Gray and Natsu were seconds away from throwing punches.

"It's lovely to meet you. Welcome to Fairy Tail," Levy said warmly. "How did you meet Gajeel?"

Lily coughed. "Well, it was a rather untraditional start to a friendship, I'll admit. He was trying to use his magic to free you all from the giant lacrima and I had been ordered to guard it. So we fought. His skill and determination impressed me."

Jet snorted. "You call that a strange beginning to a friendship? Gajeel used to be a part of a different guild that decided to declare war on Fairy Tail. He destroyed our guildhall, attacked some members, and kidnapped and beat up Lucy."

At that moment, the blonde in question walked over to their table to avoid the fight that had broken out.

"Can't they go one day without wrecking the place?" she complained.

"You should know better than anyone that they can't, Lu. I don't know how you survive jobs with those two," Levy said with a shudder. "Oh, have you met Panther Lily?"

"Not yet. Welcome to Fairy Tail. I'd say it isn't normally this crazy, but I'd be lying."

"This is Lucy Heartfilia. She uses her magic to summon celestial spirits. Lucy, meet Lily, an Exceed and Gajeel's new partner."

Lucy smiled warmly at him. "It's wonderful to meet you. I'm glad Gajeel finally has a partner. I was worried he might have been a little jealous of Natsu and Wendy."

Lily stared at the girl, amazed. "Aren't you the Lucy Gajeel kidnapped and tortured? And yet you're so concerned for him. Have you somehow become his friend after everything he did?"

"Of course," Lucy said with a shrug. "For one thing, I never really blamed him in the first place. My dad was the one who ordered Phantom to come after us. And Fairy Tail is all about second chances. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. Sure you end up hurt sometimes, but as often as not you make close friends. Besides, I had less to forgive Gajeel for than these three did."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"What, they didn't tell you? Gajeel beat them up even worse than me. He ambushed them, beat them almost to death, and left them pinned to a tree with his iron overnight."

Lily stared at all four mages with wide eyes. "Your master let him join after all that? And you've befriended him? How?"

"It wasn't entirely his fault. He was loyal to his old guild," Levy explained. "He was told that Fairy Tail was bad and he had no reason to believe otherwise. He's genuinely sorry for what he did. And it's not like he's the first enemy we've befriended."

"Stuff happens," Jet added. "Sometimes it's hard to tell what's right and what's wrong. You can very easily end up on the wrong side of things with good intentions."

Before the conversation could continue, a naked Gray crashed onto their table. He leaped up, shaking his fist.

"What the hell, Iron Butt? You trying to kill me or something?"

Gajeel stomped over. "You made Juvia cry," he growled.

"It's not my fault! I just said that her dress looked nice!"

His eyes narrowed. "Fine. Just make sure she's not upset, or I'll come after you for real."

"Gray, your pants!" Cana called from the bar. "Not that I'm complaining," she added with a wink.

That, of course, set Juvia off on another round of tears, but she was standing close enough to the door that most of the guild managed to avoid the flood.

"Excuse me, Levy," Lily said.

"Yes?"

"Would it be possible for you to help me find the girl with the short white hair? I'm afraid I may have made a bad impression on her and I'd like to apologize."

"Sure!" The small girl stood up and waved to her friends as she led the Exceed through the guild. They found Lisanna at the bar with her siblings, but that wasn't really a surprise. The two barely let her out of their sight.

"Lisanna?" Levy said. "This is Pather Lily. He wanted to meet you."

Lisanna squealed and hugged Levy tight. "Oh, it's so good to see you again! I mean, I saw you in Edolas, but it wasn't really you. It was a different you. If that makes any sense."

"Of course it does," Levy said with a smile. "It must be really strange to see everyone acting so differently. I've been wanting to ask how our counterparts in Edolas acted."

"Sure! I'll find a time to sit down with you and answer all your questions." Lisanna shook her head. "It's so strange to see you so focused on research again. The Levy in Edolas was focused too, but she was a grease monkey. She loved tinkering with machines."

Levy's eyes widened. "Really? That's incredible. From what I've heard, the core parts of each person's personality stayed fundamentally the same, but at the same time were flipped to the opposite."

Lily coughed.

"Oh, that's not why we came over!" Levy said, her cheeks pink. "Lily wanted to apologize for something."

"I mistakenly thought you were a suspicious person when we met and I apologize for treating you as such. I was merely trying to impress my new partner and his guild."

"Don't worry about it," Lisanna said. "You'll find that treatment like that isn't unusual in this guild on a normal day. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you're a kinder captor than some I've met before."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your new partner?" Mira asked. "Have you become Gajeel's partner?"

Lily nodded.

"Oh, this Gajeel is a part of the guild? What's he like here?"

"Well, he's a little rough around the edges," Mira said. "But he has a good heart, right Levy?"

Levy looked flustered, but she nodded.

"He's actually a dragonslayer too!" Elfman added. "He's the iron dragonslayer."

Lisanna's eyes widened as she looked at Levy and over to the man in question as he stood on top of a bench, laughing at Natsu, who was jumping up and down trying to punch him.

"This is too weird," she whispered. "The Gajeel in Edolas was a reporter. He was a kind person, fiercely loyal, dedicated to truth and justice, and loved words. Sound like anyone we know?" Everyone looked at Levy, who blushed. "And Edolas Levy was loud, brash, loved to pick fights, and was always tinkering with some sort of machine. Who does that sound like?"

Mira's eyes lit up with a dangerous gleam. "So you're saying they're opposites? Well you know what they say about opposites…."

"Hey, how about I introduce you to some of Gajeel's other friends?" Levy said quickly, dragging the small Exceed away from the bar and the terrifying Strauss sisters.

"Gajeel said that he doesn't have any friends," Lily said, once the girl had slowed down.

Levy frowned. "That's not even a little true. He has plenty of friends." She smiled. "I think he just wants to come off as this big tough guy who doesn't need anyone. He's lost a lot of people. First his real family, then his dragon, and the guild he was a part of for so long. He's really a big softy once you get to know him."

"You seem to care about him a lot."

"Wh-what?! No! I mean, of course I care, he's my guildmate and friend. I care about him as much as anyone else!"

Lily smirked at her red face but didn't comment. Instead he turned to observe Gajeel, who, despite being in the middle of a fight, was smiling. It wasn't the cruel smile of someone who enjoyed other people's pain, but the smile of a person who found others who spoke his language.

"Well, I'm glad to see he has so many friends."

* * *

 **Well. *cough cough* It's been a while. Hopefully a longer-than-normal chapter will make up for that?**

 **I know that this chapter is entitled Pather Lily, but we got to see Gajeel and Lily become friends, so this is more Lily meeting some of Gajeel's friends. Because he does have friends, no matter what he might say.**

 **Special thanks, as always, to star-eye, for arguing over order of events in canon, encouraging me to get off my ass and get this done, and for debating whether or not Exceed is always capitalized. (We decided it is. It's like a nationality, like Irish or Turkish.)**

 **I promise to update again soon. I didn't mean for so much time to pass. My sincerest apologies. *bows deeply***

 **Catch ya later, lovelies!**

 **-FD**


	9. Finding Family

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters are not mine. Not even a little bit.**

* * *

"Okay, now that is surprising."

"What do you mean, Lu?" Levy asked. The two were sitting at an out of the way table at the guild, discussing what books to catch up on first. After all, seven years was a long time in the publishing world. Even with gale-force glasses, it would be a while before they were through their lists.

Lucy answered Levy by pointing across the guild. It took Levy a moment to figure out exactly what the blonde meant, but when she saw it, her breath caught in her throat.

"Oh," she managed to say.

"Yeah."

Lily reluctantly looked up from the plate of kiwis Kinana had placed in front of him. Kinana had been so happy to have everyone home from Tenrou Island that she was giving everyone their favorite foods. "What's going on?" he asked.

Neither girl said anything, still staring. Lily turned to look as well and a soft smile settled on his face.

"He's very good with her, isn't he?"

Somehow, Asuka had managed to climb onto Gajeel's shoulders. The iron dragonslayer was scowling at her, but it was gentler than his usual expression. He reached up and flicked her hat before following her instructions to carry her around to all the guild members she had never met. Apparently she was too short to properly meet everyone and decided that the taller man was the perfect perch.

"Wow, I never would have guessed he'd be so comfortable with a kid," Lucy mused. "I mean, I didn't think he'd be mean or anything, but she's pretty much got him wrapped around her little finger."

"Yeah," Levy breathed, eyes fixed on the sight.

Lucy and Lily exchanged an evil grin and turned towards the enraptured girl.

"You know, he's kind of a natural," Lucy hinted.

"Yeah," Levy said distractedly.

"I bet they'll ask him to babysit her," Lily chimed in.

"Yeah."

"Can you imagine what kind of father he'd be?" Lucy asked with a wicked smirk.

"Yeah," Levy said dreamily, eyes glazed over. Then Lucy's words sank in and she turned bright red. "I mean, what? Why would I imagine that?"

Lucy dissolved into laughter as Lily patted Levy's arm comfortingly.

"It's really no surprise that they're friends, when you think about it," the Exceed said.

"Why's that?" Levy asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Well, I'd say that his closest friends are you, Juvia, and Wendy. What do the three of you have in common?"

"We're all mages of Fairy Tail?" Levy said hesitantly, not really wanting to answer. Besides, she was flustered by the fact that Lily considered her one of Gajeel's closest friends.

"Oh, I know!" Lucy said, finally pulling herself together. "You're all small, adorable, and have blue hair!"

Levy glowered at her supposed best friend.

"Exactly. Gajeel seems to have a weakness for tiny, adorable people."

"Including you?" Levy asked teasingly.

Lily's eyes narrowed. "I may be small, but I am not adorable. I am deadly."

Levy nodded, patting his head. "You can be both, you know."

The three sat in silence for a moment, watching Gajeel tote Asuka around to meet all the guild members who had recently returned. He introduced them all in his special way, which got him yelled at more than once. Asuka didn't seem to mind, though.

"Does he still like to insist that he doesn't have friends?" Lucy suddenly asked. "Because anyone watching him right now would disagree."

"I'm not so sure," Levy said softly. "He doesn't have friends. He has a family."

* * *

 **That's it. It's done.**

 **Also, I have a headcannon that Alzack and Bisca ask Gajeel to babysit Asuka sometime after a few months have passed. Gajeel asks Levy to help him, but she's heard the stories from when Natsu and Lucy babysat her, so she makes herself scarce. Sure, she'd love to kiss him, but would rather he decided to do it on his own than be ordered to by a kid.**

 **Special thanks to star-eye for beta reading and editing. Fun fact, I made her laugh so hard with Lily's last line that she fell out of her chair. I feel very proud.**

 **Now that this is done, I'll be heading back to Selling Secrets. It's been too long since I've worked on it and I've got some great ideas!**

 **Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed. You make me smile.**

 **Catch ya later lovelies!**

 **-FD**


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